Thanks to everyone who sent in a recipe featuring smoked paprika for our Get Spicy contest! I narrowed it down to these four finalists. I’m publishing each of the full recipes, and it’s up to you to vote for the winner. I’m glad I don’t have to decide. They all look nothing less than scrumptious and I plan to try ‘em all!
Peel a sweet potato. Slice it up into skinny french fry sized sticks. Add
sticks to a large bowl or ziploc baggie with some cooking spray, cracked
black pepper and about 1 tablespoon of smoked paprika. Shake around until fries are evenly coated.
Place fries in a single layer, not touching each other on a cooling rack placed inside a cooking sheet–having airflow all around makes them crispier. Bake fries at 475 degrees for 30 minutes or until they’re crispy. Remove from oven and toss in a mixture of 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika. If you like a little more heat, add a pinch of cayenne to this mixture as well. Consume while hot.
Recipe #2: Chicken Tikka Masala
From: Gwen
- 1 cup yogurt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 4 teaspoons salt, or to taste
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
- 4 long skewers
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Directions
1. In a large bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, 2 teaspoons cumin,
cinnamon, cayenne, black pepper, ginger, and 4 teaspoons salt. Stir in
chicken, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. Preheat a grill for high heat.
3. Lightly oil the grill grate. Thread chicken onto skewers, and discard
marinade. Grill until juices run clear, about 5 minutes on each side.
4. Melt butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic
and jalapeno for 1 minute. Season with 2 teaspoons cumin and paprika. Stir in tomato sauce and cream. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Add grilled chicken, and simmer for 10 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter, and garnish with fresh cilantro.
Recipe #3: Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
From: Ari
4-6lb Pork butt
2 medium yellow onions
4 garlic cloves
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
3 tbsp smoked paprika
2 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp kosher salt
½ tbsp pepper
1 bottle favorite bbq sauce
1tsp liquid smoke (optional)
Pat pork butt dry with paper towels, if too big to fit in cooker, cut into 3
pieces. Mix spices together with apple cider vinegar and rub on pork butt. Place in Ziploc bag and let sit for 1 hour. Then, slice one onion into rings and place on bottom of slow cooker, put pork butt on top, pour the rest of the marinade on top, and cover pork with water, just until covered, then layer with the second onion sliced into rings and throw in the 4 garlic cloves. Turn cooker on low and leave for 6-8 hours. Then, take pork out, keeping the onions and garlic, just pour out ¾ of the liquid, and start shredding the pork with 2 forks, should be very easy to pull apart. Once all shredded, put it all back in the cooker, dump in your favorite bbq sauce and liquid smoke, and let cook on low for as long as you want, or until ready to serve. Goes great on slider buns with bread and butter pickles and slaw, or in corn tacos.
Recipe #4: Spinach Pancakes
From: Michelle
Ingredients:
4 TBS of flour
2 eggs
1 package of frozen spinach (I use fresh spinach from the farmers’ market if I have it on hand)
s&p to taste
1/2 tsp of paprika
2 TBS olive oil (Sometimes I use grapeseed oil, because of the higher smoke point)
1. Mix the flour and eggs
2. Stir in spinach, then s&p and paprika
3. Heat oil in a skillet, and drop the batter in and make patties. (I like
about 3in diameter pancakes)
4. Time is dependent on size, after both sides are browned, drain on paper towels and eat!
Now, let’s pick a winner. The poll wasn’t working, so vote by leaving a comment with your favorite recipe! You have until tomorrow at noon.
Doesn’t this look A-MAZING!!! (And you know I don’t like to use that word, but I think this picture qualifies.)
Recipe/post via one of my favorite tumblrs – Tanya. Enjoy!
Tanya:
For tonight’s dinner I made another recipe from Ina Garten’s cookbook. It was delicious! So easy and so perfect!
Tuna Salad
2 pounds very fresh tuna steak, cut 1-inch thick
4 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for brushing
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus extra for sprinkling
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black, plus extra for sprinkling
2 limes, zest grated
1 teaspoon wasabi powder
6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (3 limes)
2 teaspoons soy sauce
10 dashes hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco)
1 to 2 ripe Hass avocados, medium diced
1/4 cup minced scallions, white and green parts (2 scallions)
1/4 cup red onion, small diced
Directions
Brush the tuna steaks with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the tuna steaks in a very hot saute pan and cook for only 1 minute on each side. Set aside on a platter.Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the olive oil, salt, pepper, lime zest, wasabi, lime juice, soy sauce and hot sauce. Add the avocados to the vinaigrette.
Cut the tuna in chunks and place it in a large bowl. Add the scallions and red onion and mix well. Pour the vinaigrette mixture over the tuna and carefully mix.
Do you drool at the thought of gourmet spices like black truffle salt and smoked paprika? Do you like free things? If you do, you’ll probably love our contest! More info on that at the end of this post. But first, a word about spices.
Spices are a surefire way to jazz up whatever you’re cooking without adding calories, sugar/carbs, fat, etc. Investing in high-quality spices will go a long way in helping you build a healthy but absolutely delicious kitchen. To save some cash, buy them in bulk from your local co-op or online (those little bottles from the grocery store are PRICEY!). To get you going, here are my favorite versatile spices:
Cinnamon. Think outside the box with this one and add it to both savory and sweet dishes! Put some into your coffee grinds for an aromatic blend. Of course, it makes a great addition to yogurt, oatmeal, or smoothies.
Ginger. With as much antioxidants in a teaspoon as a cup of spinach, ginger can really do no wrong in my book. You can use dried ginger, but I love the fresh stuff. Try adding it to vegetable dishes, marinades, and sauces. Of course, it’s great on sweet dishes or even fresh fruit.
Dried Red Pepper (like crushed red pepper, cayenne, and paprika). I find that adding just a little of any of these spices to a dish makes it instantaneously more complex and (of course) a bit spicy.
The Italians: Basil, Oregano, Thyme, Rosemary. I’m no fashion expert, but these are like the Little Black Dress of cooking. They taste good with almost anything and are hard to mess up.
Turmeric/Cumin. You can give any dish an exotic twist just by adding one of these spices. Stir it into egg, chicken, or tuna salad or add to simmer sauces. It’s also great in vinaigrettes and dips. Make a quick rub with some combo of cayenne, paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper.
Now it’s your turn to get spicy! The Spice Station that Kallah frequents generously offered to donate a few ounces of their gourmet smoked paprika (it’s good, let me tell you) to one lucky reader!
All you have to do is share your favorite recipe that incorporates or features paprika by Monday, February 22, at 12am EST. Email all recipes to nutritionista@morethanmary.com. If you can, include a picture of the finished product! Then, we’ll poll you readers to find out which recipe reigns supreme in terms of deliciousness potential. The winner will get the gourmet smoked paprika. Happy cooking!
Kallah went to a spice store recently and purchased a few high-quality spices, including smoked paprika.
I was racking my brain for recipes featuring smoked paprika when reader Jacqui sent me the following. She swears it’s “GREAT.” Judging by the ingredients, I’m sure it is! And what’s more perfect for winter than a warm soup featuring seasonal root veggies? Enjoy, Kallah!
P.S. Don’t fear the whole milk! In a recipe like this, it makes the dish more rich and creamy, so you’re more likely to feel satisfied than if you tried to limit the fat. Fat is not always your foe!
4 pounds sweet potatoes
1 large onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, diced
2 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp smoked paprika
3 teaspoons hot curry powder
5 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup whole milk
3-4 T olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
Roast the potatoes. (350 degrees until you can easily pierce them with a fork.) Let them cool, then skin and mash them.
In a heavy pot, cook the onions with the olive oil on medium heat until they caramelize. Add the garlic, rosemary, and a pinch of salt and pepper, and the smoked paprika.
Add the sweet potatoes and stock, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for about 20 minutes.
Use a hand food processor to blend soup into a creamy, almost-smooth consistency or transfer to a food processor and blend in batches.
Return to low heat, and add curry powder, some salt and a little pepper. Taste for seasoning, and add more curry and/or salt according to taste.
Add the milk and stir until completely heated through. Adjust seasoning if desired.
Garnish with chopped chives and yogurt if desired.
I’m of the belief that when it comes to healthy habits, the more you do something, the more you’ll want to do it. Many of us seek out the things we’re familiar with, right? Meaning: If you eat fast food every day, that’s what you’ll naturally seek out. If you exercise every day, you’ll start to feel a little off when you don’t.
So how do those of us with a taste for less-than-nutritious food and a knack for spending more time on the couch than participating in any form of physical activity retrain ourselves?
Slowly. Know that if you have a habit of eating a McMuffin for breakfast every day, a homemade breakfast sandwich is just not going to taste as good. But after a few weeks or months of eating the homemade version, suddenly the fast food iteration is the one that tastes weird.
Here are some recipes you can slowly incorporate into your diet that taste similar to the original but will help you reprogram your tastebuds to crave healthier, more nutritious food (that also happens to be tasty!):
Reprogrammed Baked Beans: BBQ Baked Beans with Kale & Chicken Sausage. Tastes just like mom’s version, with a twist. As you get more used to the addition of kale, experiment with other veggies.
Reprogrammed Alfredo Pizza: Green Pizza. This version keeps the creaminess of the original, but adds more veggies and subtracts the excess fat. You’ll start to find that a little cheese goes a long way.
Reprogrammed Lasagna:Eggplant Veggie Lasagna. This dish has all the cheesy goodness you come to expect from lasagna, but it contains less noodles and more veggies overall. Trust me, you won’t miss the pasta.
Reprogrammed Burger & Fries: Spinach & Feta Burger with Baked Fries. Simply baking your fries instead of, well, frying them can do so much to up the health factor but keep the taste comparable. Also, though turkey burgers don’t taste like beef, this jazzed up version will give your tastebuds something to remember.
Reprogrammed Chicken Fingers: Baked Chicken Tenders. You won’t miss the fried version at all, since baking these chicken fingers with whole wheat bread crumbs give the same crispy crunch you know and love.
Again, don’t expect to love these healthy redos of your favorites as much as the original right away. But keep experimenting and you’ll find that you can achieve a very comparable (I’d argue better!) taste for a fewer calories, and a LOT more nutrition. Happy eating!
For some reason, Adrien was craving deviled eggs and suggested (strongly) that I show off my skills and whip some up for him.
After reading the recipe he chose, I saw it wasn’t difficult and was happy to ablige him. But of course, I wasn’t going to let him sip sav blanc while I slaved away. (Fortunately I am one of the only people who can get Adrien to do manual labor.)
I amended the recipe because I was only feeding one little man (Bob hates eggs) and we didn’t have paprika. Plus, since we’re in Mexico, we have to use some local flavor, so I added jalapenos for a little extra kick.
By now, most of you probably know about banana soft serve. But for those of us who live in chillier climates, frozen dessert just doesn’t sound as appealing in the winter. I wanted to create a dessert that warmed the soul and satisfied the sweet tooth, but still used healthy bananas as the base. Enter roasted bananas. I added a tropical spin to at least hint at warmer weather.
These gooey bites were so easy to make (around 10 minutes start to finish) and tasted so decadent! To make them even more decadent, serve with vanilla frozen yogurt or ice cream. To keep it healthy, serve with Greek yogurt.
You’ll need (serves 2-4):
2 medium bananas
1 Tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp butter or vegan substitute (I used Earth Balance)
1 tsp lime juice (you could also use lemon)
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Halve bananas length-wise and then into bite size pieces and place on a non-stick baking sheet. Sprinkle with brown sugar and coconut, then sprinkle liberally with cinnamon. Squeeze lime over everything. Add a small dot of butter/Earth Balance to each bite. Roast for 5 minutes, then turn off oven and broil for 2-3 minutes (or until tops of bananas are golden and bubbly). Bites before cooking:
(MR Note: I don’t know about you, but I’m still in winter soup mode. This recipe looks delish if you’re willing to wait.)
We finished this soup, by the way. Every last serving. We never do that. It’s magic, I tell you.
A big note about cooking times: The original recipe says 6 hours. Mine were done at 2 hours 45 minutes. Do black beans vary wildly in cooking time? Do slow cookers vary wildly in cooking time? These are all pressing questions. Check your beans at 3 hours, and holler at me in the comments if your cooking time ends up being much longer.
Black Bean Soup
Yields 6 main course servings
1 tablespoon olive oil 2 medium-size red onions, chopped 1 medium-size red bell pepper, chopped 1 medium-size green bell pepper, chopped 4 garlic cloves, minced 4 teaspoons ground cumin 1 16-ounce package dried black beans 1 tablespoon chopped chipotle chiles from a can (this gives it a solid kick, dial back if you are wary) 7 cups hot water (I just used very hot tap water) 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and both bell peppers and sauté until beginning to brown, about eight minutes. Add garlic and cumin; stir one minute. Transfer mixture to 6-quart slow cooker. Add beans and chipotles, then 7 cups hot water. Cover and cook on high until beans are very tender, about 3 hours. [See note up top.]
Transfer two cups bean mixture to blender; puree until smooth. Return puree to remaining soup in slow cooker. Stir in lime juice, salt, and pepper. Adjust seasonings to taste; we found we needed more salt. Ladle soup into bowls. Spoon dollop of toasted cumin seed cream (below) over each bowl and serve.
Do ahead: This soup keeps great in the fridge, and even thickens a bit. In a good way!
Toasted Cumin Seed Crème Fraîche Hacked from Bobby Flay
1 tablespoon whole cumin seeds 1 cup crema or crème fraîche (or make your own crema, make your own crème fraîche, or swap sour cream or yogurt, for a close-enough taste) Salt and freshly ground pepper
Place the cumin in a small sauté pan over medium heat. Toast until lightly golden brown. Place in spice grinder or mortar and pestle and grind until coarse. Stir it into the creme and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
